At the beginning of each new year, Phenom Hoops works to assemble a series of articles centered around unsigned senior prospects. Last season, hundreds of players from North Carolina went on to play at the Division I, II, III or NAIA levels, and that number looks likely to continue increasing with the current senior class. Typically, we take a closer look at guys who are overlooked and underrated, and today’s edition will highlight Jayden Watlington of Grimsley High School.
We’ve covered Watlington closely throughout his entire high school journey, previously stating, “Like his teammate above, Jayden Watlington is another returning All-Conference selection who should maintain his status as a vital piece for the Whirlies. He’s a tough, wiry, scoring guard with the ability to apply offensive pressure in a wide variety of ways. Watlington is able to create for himself or others and regularly hits shots with a high degree of difficulty—both from midrange and beyond the arc. He’s also a capable penetrator with the necessary instincts to finish or make smart passes to open teammates. Watlington is another strong leader for this group who sets the tone with his intensity, defensive activity, and seemingly nonstop scoring prowess. He will warrant attention from college coaches throughout the upcoming season.”
The ensuing season inevitably led to more success and production from the combo-guard. He posted nightly averages of 12.3 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 2.9 APG, and 1.1 SPG with impressive 52/36/70 shooting splits. While the raw numbers might not explode off the page, it’s worth noting that Watlington was an incredibly key cog within a very unselfish team structure. Could he have posted higher scoring totals and dominated the ball elsewhere' Probably. But going 25-3 and ultimately competing for a state championship as one of (if not the) top teams from Greensboro. In terms of his actual game, Watlington has always excelled as a tough, fairly crafty all-around offensive threat who can run a team while applying scoring pressure in a variety of different ways. He’s long, active, unselfish, and displays a nice feel for the game on both ends of the floor. It’s somewhat difficult to overstate his value to this group, but Watlington should certainly have more opportunities to further his playing career at the next level.